Aussie mum shares how a simple baby car seat method saved her 10-month-old son from a HORRIFIC car crash
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Car crashes are one of the most terrifying accidents that could happen to anyone. It’s incredibly unsuspecting no matter how careful a driver is and the injuries left can be permanent or deadly. It’s best to take all the existing safety precautions when driving, especially when you’re with your little ones. We can never be too careful!
Melbourne-based mum, Zoe Ten Broek, has been placing her son Jaxon into his car seat facing towards the back of the vehicle since birth after discovering this manoeuvre significantly reduces injuries in case of a car crash.
Fortunately, her seemingly small decision mattered when she was faced with a circumstance that is every parent’s biggest nightmare.
Rewind to July 2020, the then 21-year-old mum had strapped little Jax into his car seat as she normally would so they could visit her parents. Before driving off, she took the time to do a quick ‘pinch test’ to ensure her baby’s straps were tightly secured and fitted appropriately. But her trip was cut short in the most terrifying way.
“I started to make my way to my parents’ house just like I have done so many times in the past. Though this time we never made it there.” She said.
“It was a 20-minute drive, but we crashed only two minutes after leaving home. The next thing I remembered was men putting me in an ambulance and telling me that I had been in an accident.”
“Jax was nowhere to be seen.”
The distressed mum explained that she had lost her consciousness during the time her son was being rushed to The Royal Children’s Hospital. She, on the other hand, was brought to The Royal Women’s Hospital.
“My mum was with Jax and she updated me throughout the night but I think because of the pain medications they gave me, those messages really weren’t hitting home.” she shared. “After having spent the night in the hospital myself, I finally got to go see him.”
The following afternoon, Zoe hysterically rushed over to her little one’s hospital bedside.
Poor baby Jax suffered from serious head injuries from the accident – including a fractured skull, a brain bleed, and a torn ligament in his neck.
“Nothing could have prepared me for seeing my little man in that massive bed with so many tubes and wires everywhere. His poor face looked nothing like it used to. Everything was swollen, from his eyes to his fingers, to his poor little toes.” the mum recalled.
Jax was left to recover in the hospital for a whole month. Image Credit: 7News
“It was an awful lot to process, I had no memory of what happened and suddenly, it hit me all at once that I could lose my precious boy any second.”
Zoe mentioned that one of the most difficult things was not being able to hold her son and give him a tight embrace.
“The only thing I wanted was to pick him up and hold him, but I wasn’t allowed to do that until weeks later. I really think that that was my main thought, I just wanted to hug it all better.”
Jax was confined in the hospital for a whole month where he underwent four major surgeries.
“Many tears later I was thankfully lucky enough to be able to take my boy home without any permanent issues.” she said.
Over half a year later, Zoe (now at the age of 23) said she can’t help but believe the outcome might have been entirely different if she had placed Jax in a front-facing seat.
“Not a day goes by where I don’t think about what life would be like if we weren’t so lucky,” she said. If I hadn’t known to keep him rear-ward facing, he definitely wouldn’t be here – the doctors have told me.”
The super mum said she only found out about the method when she took it upon herself to do her own research prior to purchasing a baby seat.
“When I got pregnant I entertained myself with reading and planning things online. For whatever reason, I dived rather deeply into car safety and really educated myself.” she explained.
“I don’t know why I specifically obsessed over car safety, but I’m very very glad that I did. If it wasn’t for my own research I would have had zero reasons to do extended rearward facing.”
Baby Jax fully recovered without permanent issues. Image Credit: 7News
While doing research, Zoe stumbled upon alarming statistics about severe head injuries that can happen from a collision.
“Did you know that if your child’s car seat was forward-facing and you were to get in an accident their neck would get hit with the force of 180 to 220 kilograms? Whereas, if they were to be rear-ward facing that force would only be 40 to 60 kilograms? I’m so thankful to have known that information before the absolute worst happened to us.” she shared.
As of now, Australian guidelines state that it’s safe for children to be placed in front-facing seats from the age of six months.
However, Zoe hopes that her story prompts parents to take extra precautions and consider placing their children in rear-facing seats for ‘as long as possible’.
“I think what bothers me the most is that it would have been ‘legally’ fine for me to have forward faced him for four months already.”
“How can we have so much research on extended rearward facing and have such outdated laws? It made me rather angry. Had I listened to the law instead of the research my 10-month-old would have been instantly internally decapitated!”
“On the flip side, it also made me feel extremely lucky. Every day I’m thankful that I still get to create more memories with my little man.” she concluded.
According to the American Academy of Paediatrics which recently updated its guidelines back in 2018, rear-facing is the safest way for children to ride a baby seat.
This is because when children are forward-facing, their heads – which for toddlers are disproportionately heavy – are tossed forward during a car collision, possibly resulting in severe spine and head injuries.
The American Academy of Paediatrics also advised parents to place their children in a rear-facing baby seat for as long as possible, including children under the age of 2 up to the age of 4.
What are your thoughts on this story? Share it with us in the comments and if you can, please share this article with as many parents as you can. This is an incredibly important message that needs to reach as many parents as possible.
Watch a simulated side-by-side comparison of the two methods during a car crash below:
Video Credit: Oh Baby Store
Melbourne-based mum, Zoe Ten Broek, has been placing her son Jaxon into his car seat facing towards the back of the vehicle since birth after discovering this manoeuvre significantly reduces injuries in case of a car crash.
Fortunately, her seemingly small decision mattered when she was faced with a circumstance that is every parent’s biggest nightmare.
Rewind to July 2020, the then 21-year-old mum had strapped little Jax into his car seat as she normally would so they could visit her parents. Before driving off, she took the time to do a quick ‘pinch test’ to ensure her baby’s straps were tightly secured and fitted appropriately. But her trip was cut short in the most terrifying way.
“I started to make my way to my parents’ house just like I have done so many times in the past. Though this time we never made it there.” She said.
“It was a 20-minute drive, but we crashed only two minutes after leaving home. The next thing I remembered was men putting me in an ambulance and telling me that I had been in an accident.”
“Jax was nowhere to be seen.”
The distressed mum explained that she had lost her consciousness during the time her son was being rushed to The Royal Children’s Hospital. She, on the other hand, was brought to The Royal Women’s Hospital.
“My mum was with Jax and she updated me throughout the night but I think because of the pain medications they gave me, those messages really weren’t hitting home.” she shared. “After having spent the night in the hospital myself, I finally got to go see him.”
The following afternoon, Zoe hysterically rushed over to her little one’s hospital bedside.
Poor baby Jax suffered from serious head injuries from the accident – including a fractured skull, a brain bleed, and a torn ligament in his neck.
“Nothing could have prepared me for seeing my little man in that massive bed with so many tubes and wires everywhere. His poor face looked nothing like it used to. Everything was swollen, from his eyes to his fingers, to his poor little toes.” the mum recalled.
Jax was left to recover in the hospital for a whole month. Image Credit: 7News
“It was an awful lot to process, I had no memory of what happened and suddenly, it hit me all at once that I could lose my precious boy any second.”
Zoe mentioned that one of the most difficult things was not being able to hold her son and give him a tight embrace.
“The only thing I wanted was to pick him up and hold him, but I wasn’t allowed to do that until weeks later. I really think that that was my main thought, I just wanted to hug it all better.”
Jax was confined in the hospital for a whole month where he underwent four major surgeries.
“Many tears later I was thankfully lucky enough to be able to take my boy home without any permanent issues.” she said.
Over half a year later, Zoe (now at the age of 23) said she can’t help but believe the outcome might have been entirely different if she had placed Jax in a front-facing seat.
“Not a day goes by where I don’t think about what life would be like if we weren’t so lucky,” she said. If I hadn’t known to keep him rear-ward facing, he definitely wouldn’t be here – the doctors have told me.”
The super mum said she only found out about the method when she took it upon herself to do her own research prior to purchasing a baby seat.
“When I got pregnant I entertained myself with reading and planning things online. For whatever reason, I dived rather deeply into car safety and really educated myself.” she explained.
“I don’t know why I specifically obsessed over car safety, but I’m very very glad that I did. If it wasn’t for my own research I would have had zero reasons to do extended rearward facing.”
Baby Jax fully recovered without permanent issues. Image Credit: 7News
While doing research, Zoe stumbled upon alarming statistics about severe head injuries that can happen from a collision.
“Did you know that if your child’s car seat was forward-facing and you were to get in an accident their neck would get hit with the force of 180 to 220 kilograms? Whereas, if they were to be rear-ward facing that force would only be 40 to 60 kilograms? I’m so thankful to have known that information before the absolute worst happened to us.” she shared.
As of now, Australian guidelines state that it’s safe for children to be placed in front-facing seats from the age of six months.
However, Zoe hopes that her story prompts parents to take extra precautions and consider placing their children in rear-facing seats for ‘as long as possible’.
“I think what bothers me the most is that it would have been ‘legally’ fine for me to have forward faced him for four months already.”
“How can we have so much research on extended rearward facing and have such outdated laws? It made me rather angry. Had I listened to the law instead of the research my 10-month-old would have been instantly internally decapitated!”
“On the flip side, it also made me feel extremely lucky. Every day I’m thankful that I still get to create more memories with my little man.” she concluded.
According to the American Academy of Paediatrics which recently updated its guidelines back in 2018, rear-facing is the safest way for children to ride a baby seat.
This is because when children are forward-facing, their heads – which for toddlers are disproportionately heavy – are tossed forward during a car collision, possibly resulting in severe spine and head injuries.
The American Academy of Paediatrics also advised parents to place their children in a rear-facing baby seat for as long as possible, including children under the age of 2 up to the age of 4.
What are your thoughts on this story? Share it with us in the comments and if you can, please share this article with as many parents as you can. This is an incredibly important message that needs to reach as many parents as possible.
Watch a simulated side-by-side comparison of the two methods during a car crash below:
Video Credit: Oh Baby Store
